Then, Now, Forever
by UnbrokenBarista
Summary: One shots centered around Ellie & Coop's relationship. Before, during, and after the book's span of events. Rated for content and language.
1. Night Cap

**Okay, I've been thinking about doing Plain Truth fics for a while, so here's the first one. This is the first one shot in a series. Please note these one shots are NOT connected. They don't go off of each other. A big thank you to Hayley, my incredible beta for this story! Without further ado, Ellie and Coop...**

* * *

Ellie was walking around her apartment getting ready for her date. She had a black dress on that fell to her mid-thigh and was low cut and backless. She slipped into her strappy black heels and looked in the mirror as she finished her make-up. A bright red lip complimented a deep smoky eye. She added another layer of mascara to her lashes and she smiled. "Perfect," she whispered to herself. She shrugged on a jacket and dabbed a little bit of perfume on her neck and wrists. She grabbed her clutch and walked out into the Philadelphia night, hailing a cab and giving the address of the restaurant she was meeting her date at.

She stepped out of the cab and looked around, smiling when she saw her date looking for her. She walked over to him and let out a breath. "Hey, sorry I'm late," she said gently.

He smiled and gently kissed her cheek. "You aren't, you're on time."

She shrugged. "Which for an attorney is late."

"Ah, but tonight, Ellie, you are not an attorney. Tonight, you are a beautiful, single woman, letting her hair down and having a bit of fun."

"You sure do know how to charm a lady, don't you, Doctor?" she asked, looking down at her hands then back up to his eyes.

Coop smiled and gently touched her arm. "Only you, Ellie, only you."

She smiled and felt his arm slip around her and she walked inside with him. They walked to their table and they sat across from each other. Ellie looked at the menu then over at Coop. "So what are you getting?"

Coop looked up at her. "Everything looks pretty good. What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about the chicken franchise, glass of moscato." She said gently. "Maybe we could split a stuffed artichoke as an appetizer."

"That sounds delicious. I think I'm going to have the steak, some whiskey to drink."

Ellie rested a hand on the back of her neck, her elbows on the table. "You've always been a whiskey drinker Coop."

Ellie and Coop had known each other since college. There had always been chemistry, but Ellie seemed to always be in a relationship with someone else. Coop finally got his chance when she broke up with her last boyfriend. Because they knew each other for a while, they knew plenty about each other. Because of that, this first date wasn't full of awkward 'getting to know you' questions. They were comfortable with each other, comfortable with the silence that fell over them at times.

When they finished their dinner they walked out of the restaurant, a little buzzed from the alcohol they had with dinner, she looked up at him. "Night cap?"

He smirked and looked down at her. "I'm not sure I'm ready for the night to end just yet," he spoke softly, gently caressing her face.

She closed her eyes, feeling his hand on her cheek. She bit her bottom lip, a smile tugging at the corners. "No one said it had to," she whispered.

"Ah, so the offer of a night cap was a ruse to get me back to your apartment?"

She giggled a bit and rested her hand over his on her cheek. "Maybe." She saw him lean in and her eyes glimmered. She moved closer to him and felt his breath against her lips.

He smiled and captured her lips in his. This one kiss spoke volumes. A fire sparked inside the both of them and he felt Ellie's hand moved from his hand to his cheek. He ran his tongue over her lower lip, nearly begging for access to her mouth.

Ellie gladly obliged. Her mouth opened, feeling his tongue slip past her lips. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Her foot popped as she slid her hands around his neck. She gently ran her fingers through his hair on the base of his neck, gently moaning and breaking the kiss.

"Wow," she whispered.

Coop rested his forehead against hers and let out a breath. "Your apartment?"

Ellie nodded and smiled. They broke apart; Coop took her hand in his and hailed a cab. Ellie muttered her address as she slid in the cab. She felt his hand on her thigh and she looked over at him, her hand resting on the inside of his leg. When they reached her apartment he got out first, helping her out. They quickly walked to her apartment. She unlocked her door and pulled him in by his shirt. She closed the door, quickly pressing him against it. She kissed him passionately.

Coop groaned and wrapped his arms around her, gripping her ass through her dress. Ellie moaned and broke the kiss and looked into his eyes, her breath heavy as she pressed her body against his. "You're so sexy, Ellie."

She smiled. "You think I'm sexy in this, wait 'til you see what I have underneath it," she purred. She felt his lips on her neck and she let out a breath, her eyes closed. "Oh, Coop." She gripped his hair in her fist and she moaned, feeling her back against the wall.

"I want you out of this dress," he whispered in her ear. He felt her hands over his chest as she smiled.

"So take it off me," she said, just above a whisper. Breathless.

Coop smiled and found the zipper on the side. He whipped it over her head, her arms over her head. He opened his mouth at the sight before him. Ellie stood before him, bearing nothing but a red lace thong and her strappy heels. He felt his cock harden in his pants as he ran his hands over her skin. "You're perfect," he whispered, kissing her again.

She smiled at his reaction. She felt his lips back on hers and she let out a soft moan. She unbuttoned his shirt, pulling his shirt from his trousers and pushing his shirt off his shoulders. She ran her hands over his bare chest, feeling just how muscular he was. She pulled him closer to her by his belt loops. She unbuckled his belt, undid the button and pulled his zipper down before his pants over his hips.

"You are so sexy," she whispered against his lips. She let out a breath and ran her hands over his hips. "I need you, Coop," she said, her breathlessness turning her words into nothing but a harsh whisper.

"Yeah? How bad do you need me?" He looked deep into her eyes.

"Feel for yourself," she said with a small smile, feeling his hand travel down her side and into her thong. She gasped, feeling his fingers inside of her.

"Oh, you're so wet."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. She felt him slide her thong down her legs. She kicked it off, her shoes going with it. She slid his boxers over his hips. He kicked them off, taking his shoes and socks off as well. "Oh, Coop. You're so hard." She took him in her hand, stroking him.

He groaned and looked into her eyes. "Here?"

She shook her head. "Bedroom," she spoke hastily. She led him into the bedroom and felt him pick her up, and set her on the bed, pushing her back and climbing on top of her. She reached into her nightstand and pulled out a condom, opening the package with her teeth. She rolled it onto him. "You're so big, Coop."

He smirked and put his fingers back inside her, assuring she was ready for him. She moaned and arched her back. "You ready?"

She nodded and kissed him passionately. She felt him push inside of her and she groaned. She broke the kiss and gasped. It had been a while since she had sex, if she was honest. She was tight, but Coop seemed to fit her perfectly. Like a hand going into a glove that was made for it. "Fuck, Coop, please move!"

He smirked. She was tight but she felt so good. He started to move inside of her. He heard her groan and he rested his forehead on hers. She gripped his shoulders. "Oh shit, Ellie," he exclaimed, feeling her hips start to move into his, following his rhythm.

This was the first time that they were together, but they knew so much about the other's body. They kept up their rhythm for a good hour before they both fell over the edge, screaming the other's name, cursing each other and God. She smiled and kissed him, rolling on top of him, catching her breath. "Jesus, Coop. That was amazing…"

He rubbed her back gently. "You were amazing."

She let out a small moan. "I need a shower, care to join me?" She asked with a smile.

He looked at her. "Can't you wait til morning?"

Ellie shook her head. "I won't be able to sleep. I need to shower after I have sex."

Coop raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you've ever told me that."

Ellie smiled and shrugged. "Well, you never needed to know, until now."

"Ellie Hathaway, you never cease to amaze me."

"Amaze you, confuse you, and scare the shit out of you."

"All of the above. But I love it."

She smiled and looked up at him. "You know I could get used to this." She winked and rolled off him, standing up and walking to her bathroom, attached to her bedroom. She leaned against the door jamb. "You coming, Dr. Cooper?" She asked with a coy smile.

He stood up and walked over to her. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "You know it, Counselor."

She smiled and started the shower. She stepped in, pulling Coop in with her. "I want you to know, I don't normally sleep with a man on the first date."

"So, I'm lucky… Different?"

She smiled gently, running her hands over his chest. "You're… Coop." She felt the water travel down her body. "Usually the first date is spent getting to know each other, but you know so much about me already. More than most of my exes," she shrugged. "Feeling your lips on mine tonight, for the first time, I felt those sparks I always heard so much about."

"You've never had that before?"

She shook her head. "To be honest, I thought it was a myth. Hell, I thought for the longest time that I would never have an orgasm brought on by anyone else." She looked down at her feet and bit her bottom lip, feeling a blush rise on her cheeks.

He tilted her chin upward. "That is the best, as well as the sexiest sentence I think I've ever heard fall from your lips." He whispered.

She smiled gently. "Which part was sexy?"

"Well, it wasn't so much the words, it was more the implication that you've given yourself an orgasm before."

She smiled and shrugged. "Had to see if the G-Spot was a myth too." She winked. She bit her bottom lip and looked into his eyes. "But now I know that it wasn't that I couldn't orgasm by anyone else, I just hadn't found a man who was so in tune with my body."

He wrapped her arms around her. "Well, like you said, I know more about you than some of your exes. You've been in my sights since we were in college."

She tilted her head. "Really? How come you never said anything before?"

He gently caressed her face. "You always seemed to have a boyfriend. I was shocked when you accepted my invitation to dinner, that you weren't seeing anybody."

She shrugged. "I've been single for about a year now. I haven't really had interest, or time for that matter. When you called and asked me, my heart pounded in my chest, Coop." She shook her head. "I'd be lying if I said that you weren't someone I wanted from day one. I just never thought you felt the same way about me."

"I'd be a damned fool if I didn't."

She smiled and looked at him. "So, this…us… not just a one night thing?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm sticking around for as long as you'll let me."

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him lightly, their lips barely touching. "I'm not going anywhere any time soon." She whispered against his lips.

He pulled her flush against his body. He groaned and went back to kissing her. She pulled him under the stream of the shower. It was if they were kissing in the rain. He picked her up as the kissed, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and resting her hands on either side of his face. She broke the kiss and he looked into her eyes. "You, Ellie, are so beautiful."

She smiled and kissed him again gently. She felt the water go cold and she gasped. "I think that's our cue." Coop set her down and turned the water off and stepped out, handing him a towel and drying herself off with one. They walked, naked, into the bedroom. They climbed into the bed, under the covers. She rested her head on his chest. "Good night, Coop."

He kissed the top of her head, gently running his fingers through her hair. "Good night, El."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review, here or on Twitter UnbrokenBarista. Not sure what the next One Shot is going to be, though I'm taking suggestions. **


	2. American Beauty

**Okay, hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! Here's the next one shot. This is more true to the book, it's Coop and Ellie at Penn, together. Remember these one shots are meant to stand alone. Thanks again to my awesome beta, Hayley! Enjoy!**

* * *

To the world, they were Eleanor Hathaway, Pre-Law major, and John Joseph Cooper IV, Pre-Med major. But to each other, they were Ellie and Coop, two college kids who happened to cross paths in the library. They went out for coffee and before long they were dating, walking around campus hand in hand. They would spend the night together, sometimes a tangled mess of limbs, sometimes just wrapped in each other's arms.

Ellie stood over her record player and put on her Grateful Dead _American Beauty_ album. She turned to face Coop and wrapped her arms around him. She felt his arms around her and she smiled. She felt him caress her face and she kissed him. They were twenty, they were each other's first, and she wasn't sure that it could get any better, any more mind blowing.

Coop's hands slid under her shirt, his lips still attached to hers. He heard her moan and he smiled against her lips. He broke the kiss gently and took her shirt off and ran his hands over her curves. "You are so beautiful, El."

She smiled and bit her bottom lip. She ran her hands under his shirt and felt his abs. She took his shirt off and looked up into his eyes. "You're so incredible, Coop." She smiled and kissed him again. She wrapped herself around him once more and she let out a soft moan, the skin to skin contact sending fireworks off behind her eyes.

He tangled his fingers in her long hair. Ellie always said how she hated how her mother used to brush her hair, she was so rough, which is why she always brushed her hair 100 strokes before she went to sleep every night. He picked her up in his arms, feeling her legs wrap around his waist. He carried her to her bed and laid her down, seeing her hair fan out like a halo around her head. "You look like an angel."

Ellie laughed and ran her hands over Coop's strong shoulders. "In a bra and a pair of jeans, I look like an angel?" She raised an eyebrow at him, inquisitively.

"Okay, a fallen angel, but an angel none the less," he whispered. He caressed her face, seeing her eyes close then slowly open again.

"What?"

"I never want to take my eyes off you, El."

"I'm not going anywhere Coop; you can look at other parts of me besides my face," she giggled and kissed him gently.

"I want to see all of you." He ran her hands down her body, kissing the tops of her breasts and her stomach down to the waistband of her jeans, unbuttoning them and sliding them off her hips. He kissed back up to her lips and he smiled. "Have I ever mentioned how much I love that you match your underwear?"

She smiled and looked up into his light green eyes, seeing the flecks of gold that sparkled in each iris. "I think you've mentioned it," she whispered and kissed him softly. She felt his hands slip behind her back and unhook her bra. He slid it from her shoulders and moved his lips to her nipple, sucking on the hard nub in his mouth. Her back arched and she let a moan out. "Oh, baby." She whined and ran her hands through his hair, gently tugging.

He smirked and looked up at her, kissing his way down her body, taking her panties off with his teeth. He looked over her body in front of him and he let out a groan. "I can't even believe how beautiful you are."

She smiled and sat up and kissed him passionately, pushing him onto his back. She kissed his neck, gently biting on the skin. "Mm." She kissed down his torso. She looked up at him and unbuttoned his pants, sliding the zipper down with her teeth. She bit her bottom lip and pulled his jeans and boxers off, seeing his hard member in front of her.

"God, Ellie, I want you." He pulled her up and kissed her passionately. She straddled his lap and he gripped her hips, wrapping her arms around him, pressing their bodies together, feeling him slip inside of her.

She broke the kiss and moaned. "Oh, Coop." Her head fell back as she adjusted to him inside of her again. She started to rock her hips in rhythm with the music. She moaned and bit her bottom lip. She felt him move with her and she gasped. "Yeah, baby, just like that," she inhaled sharply through her teeth as she continued riding him.

Coop flipped them over so he was back on top. He looked down into her eyes. He brought her legs up and wrapped them around his waist. He started moving his hips into hers. He saw her back arch, and he leaned down and kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth, their tongues meshing together as they moved to the beat of the music, bringing each other over the edge.

When they finished Coop collapsed on top of her and looked into her eyes. "Shit, Ellie, you are incredible."

She giggled and ran her hands over his chest and kissed him softly. "So are you. God, you hit places inside of me that I never knew I had."

He buried her head in her neck and she wrapped her black comforter around them. They got comfortable, her head on his chest and he kissed the top of her head. "Night, El."

She looked up at him and smiled softly. "Coop?"

"Yes, Ellie?"

"I… I uh… I love you. I'm not just saying that because we just had amazing, mind blowing sex. I don't really know how I know. I just know, you know?"

He looked into her eyes and kissed her passionately, feeling her melt into the kiss. She let out a soft moan. He broke the kiss gently and caressed her face. "I love you too, Ellie."

Neither of them had ever said those words to anyone else before. They weren't sure how, but they just knew it. It felt right. They felt safe and comfortable with each other. They knew so much, they were accepted as members of each other's family. They figured this would be forever, this was it for them, it couldn't get any better.

But Ellie had this little voice in her head that said all the time to her that he was just using her, because she wasn't good enough to be his girl. She tried as hard as she could to push these thoughts from her mind, but it eventually became pointless. She brought him back to her dorm and sat him on the bed, sitting next to him. "I… we need to…"

"Oh boy, I don't like this." She rolled her eyes and grabbed the box of tissues from her night stand. "El, baby, are you pregnant?"

She furrowed her brow and looked at him. "What? No. No, that's not it. It's about us, you and me, well… more me."

"Ellie, I'm not getting where this is going."

She took a deep breath. "We're not going to work. You and me, us."

"Ellie—"

She put her hand up, resting her fingers against his lips. "No, let me finish," she whispered. She fought the tears in her eyes and she grabbed a tissue, wiping her eyes. "I… You…" She let out a breath, tears spilling from her eyes with it. "Coop, let's face it. You're too good for me, you can do so much better. I know you can."

"Can I talk now?" He saw her look down at her legs, sad, and nod. He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "Baby, talk to me. Tell me what is going on in that pretty little head of yours."

She shook her head. "I don't need a shrink, Coop. I need the two of us to face facts. We will never be able to work, not in a million years, not now. My mom is sick, my dad won't speak to me. I have my Aunt Leda and that's it. I may seem like I have it all together, but Coop, I don't. I'm falling apart."

"El, you think you're the only one falling apart? You do need a shrink. Baby, we all have our days where everything just doesn't go our way."

"Says the hot, smart, guy from a rich family who is paying for him to come to college."

"Okay, says the absolutely gorgeous, smart girl who has proven she can face anything, anything in the entire world, and come out a survivor."

"Why are you making this so hard, Coop? Why can't you just accept it and go?"

He was stunned. "Because I don't want to lose you, Ellie, I'm going to fight for you."

"You really love me?" He nodded. "Show me. Kiss me, and put everything you have into that kiss," she whispered, and almost before she was finished he cut her off, his lips on hers. He put every fiber of his being into that kiss, praying that she would learn just how much he loved her. He couldn't stand to lose her now.

He had no intention of breaking the kiss, he never wanted it to stop. She broke the kiss and he kissed her cheek. "Please, Ellie, I'm begging you. Don't do this," he whispered. "If anyone, you're the one that's too good for me. You're so out of my league, getting to be with you has made me the luckiest man in the entire world."

She looked into his eyes and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him passionately. She rested her hand on his shoulder, needing to be with him, but scared to death. Everything inside of her was screaming at her to run, before she got in over her head. Everything but her heart, her heart was the small voice she heard in the back of her head that was just barely loud enough to hear. It was just barely above a whisper as it said, 'just try'. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. "Promise me you'll love me forever?"

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and nodded. "All of you, for always," he whispered, caressing her cheek gently. He had tears in his eyes as he spoke. She looked into his eyes, tears in her own eyes and smiled, seeing the glimmers of gold in his eyes. "I love you Ellie."

She smiled and rested her hands on either side of his face, tears spilling out of her own eyes. "I love you too, Coop. So much."

He wiped her eyes and kissed her again gently. "I never want to lose you, Ellie. You mean more to me than I could possibly ever describe."

She wiped his eyes gently and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just… my head kept telling me that I wasn't good enough for you. My head kept screaming at me that I wasn't anything more to you than sex. I know that isn't true I just… maybe it's because of how my dad treated me. Loved me my whole life then when he learned I wanted to be an attorney he never wanted to talk to me again."

"Hey, you could tell me you wanted to be a prostitute and I would still want you."

"I… Thank you, I think?"

"That…came out wrong, didn't it?"

She chuckled. "A little, yeah, but I think I got the idea. You'll want me no matter what." She said, taking his hands in hers. "I just want my brain to quiet down when it comes to these insecurities, you know?"

He gently ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her head gently. "I will do everything I can to shut them up… if you'll let me."

She smiled and rested her head on his chest. "Mm, gladly," she whispered, looking up at him. "Kiss me again, this time… I never want it to stop."

He smiled and pulled her into a passionate kiss, his fingers entwining in her hair, hearing her moans. Their kisses continued until they were too tired to move their lips anymore, Coop pulled her close, holding her tightly, covering them with her black comforter. He whispered in her ear gently. "I love you, Ellie. I'm never letting you go."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading, please review, here or on Twitter UnbrokenBarista. Next chapter is probably going to be the run in between Ellie, Stephen, Coop, and his wife, at the symphony. There may be an Ellie/Coop moment, but I'm not sure how AU I want this to go. We shall see. **


End file.
